Author's Choice
A League of Her Own!
Chaela Summits for 1,000 Straight Days!
Chaela skillfully climbs a near-vertical rock wall on her 1,000th straight summit day.
12
“Yes, Chaela. I see that you put your ball in my cup of hot chocolate.
I can't play just yet. I need to get to this story.”
On March 31st, 2018, Chaela and I, unwittingly, began a summit streak that would reach the most epic of proportions on December 24th, 2020. The first of our 6 summits on that holiday eve, earned my pup an unimaginable honor, Chaela's 1,000th straight summit day! Yes, I shared those mountaintops and the streak with Chaela, but this phenomenal everyday summit achievement belongs to my pup. Chaela summited each and every mountain that she attempted during her 1,000-day streak. She often climbed in the toughest of conditions and did so with the sweetest of spirit. She never wavered on her quest for a mountain's apex. Chaela's grit, heart, and fun-loving determination were a constant theme on every mountain climb. She has become, now and forever, a canine climbing marvel. Chaela is the quintessential four-legged mountaineer!
Now that Chaela's climbing attributes and summit streak have
been duly noted, I suppose that the human half of our climbing
pair should receive a courtesy mention, albeit in third person.
Cap, a 2-wheel drive or biped mountaineer and therefore prone to falls of varying degrees and dimensions, miraculously, despite numerous tumbles and falls, somehow managed to escape serious injury. Anything major, beyond the usual ouches and boo-boos of climbing, could have unceremoniously caused Chaela's everyday summit streak to come to a crashing and sudden halt.
Chaela begins her quest for a 1,000th straight summit
day while simultaneously pouting and singing:
"These boots are made for climbing,
and that's just what they'll do."
13
Cap, ever the diligent type, performed a few rudimentary tasks to help Chaela on her everyday summit expedition. He carried Chaela's food and water. He put boots on Chaela's paws when necessary. He gassed up the Jeep and tended to the repairs. He snapped a photo or two. He made sure that Chaela got her sleep. Then, he did the wisest thing of all; each day, come mountain sun, wind, or snow, he brought Chaela to the mountains and let her flourish. And flourish Chaela did indeed, to the tune of 1,000 straight summit days! And man, was Cap ever relieved that he didn't do anything foolishly human to mess up Chaela's most mountainous of streaks!
You know, there just may be a title to a poem lurking in that last
sentence. Hey, how about that, there is!
14
After a poem, don't you sometimes just want to step beyond sentimental extreme and write a hokey letter to your inherently illiterate dog? No? Well, I do! After all,
how many pups reach a summit for
1,000 straight days?
Dear Chaela Cohani-Mere',
On December 24th, 2016, at the tender age of 6 weeks and 5 days, you hitched a ride on my shoulder as we ascended to a mountaintop in our beloved Royal Gorge. How wonderfully coincidental that on the same day, December 24th, 4 years later, you returned to this hallowed range and notched a summit for a 1,000th straight day! Most of those days, you have playfully and bravely stood on the pinnacle of not just one but many different peaks! I have watched you closely and admired your incredible spirit, climbing ability, courage, stamina, and will. As we forge ahead on our extraordinary mountain climbing odyssey, may a stick always be within paw's reach, and may you remain happy, healthy, and filled with purpose. Tomorrow is certain to be another sweet day in the mountains, so let's go get you another sweet summit. Paw-too-tay, (Chaela’s nickname) I'm so proud of you. 1,000 straight summit days! That's my girl, Chaela!
Onward and upward
Your Daddy
15
So what comes after a poem and a letter? A song? Maybe later. A
fable? I think not. A parable? Nope. We're heading down the
backtrack and a return to the main story.
Chaela and I had a challenging and memorable day of climbing on her 1,000th straight summit day. The rugged ascents in the Royal Gorge are an unrelenting rock climbing thrill. The exposed ledges, rock walls, loose terrain, and nasty cholla present a frightening visual. But with detailed navigation and careful climbing, we loved every second of it! Chaela posed with her colorful poster, and at day’s end beneath a bright moon over the Royal Gorge, we descended our last peak (photos below and next page).
Chaela poses with her “1,000 Straight Days of Reaching a Summit!” poster.
16
.png)
The moon makes its first appearance as Chaela pauses on the ascent of her last peak on my pup's 1,000th straight summit day, December 24th, 2020.
After an exhaustive and spectacular day of climbing, Chaela jumped into the Jeep, and we began the long drive back to our Rocky Mountain cabin. Chaela's 1,000th straight summit day had been everything I'd hoped it to be. We attained 6 summits on 2 mountain ranges under ideal climbing conditions. The Colorado blue sky, mild temps, and radiant sunshine provided the perfect complement to Chaela's magnificent achievement.
"Chaela, did you really have to drop a pinecone in my mashed
potatoes? I'm trying to write here."
We arrived home to a pleasant surprise. One of my all-time favorite movies, A League of Their Own, was playing on satellite television. My affection for the film goes back nearly 30 years, as the movie has an emotional tie to my first black labs, Hanna, and Heidi. I watched the movie while Chaela snuggled up next to me and fell fast asleep. Chaela's 1,000-day summit streak gave me a new perspective on a line from the movie. Jimmy Duggan, the manager of the Rockford Peaches Women's Baseball Team, was having a conversation with his star player, Dottie Hinson. Dottie had decided to quit the team because in her words: "It just got too hard." Jimmy responded: "The hard is what makes it great." Chaela had just reached a 1,000-day summit streak. This remarkable commitment was, and is, the classic definition of "hard." Yet Chaela and I found the grueling journey to be the greatest of experiences! Jimmy Duggan was right. His words rang true and prophetic to me: "The hard is what makes it great!"
17
This is a perfect point in the story to interject a little musical
anecdote, four lines of cinematic song lyrics
whistled and modified, to be specific.
Madonna, yes that Madonna, wrote a wonderful song for the movie, A League of Their Own. The song was featured during the film's credits. The soft melody was titled "This Used to Be My Playground" (if you're unfamiliar with the song, please listen to it in your preferred method). Typically, as Chaela and I approach the start of a climb, I whistle the music from the first four lines of the song. The whistling of the tune sends Chaela, like Chaeni Mae, and Hanna and Heidi before her, into a frenzied state of sheer excitement. The whistle is Chaela's cue that the climbing fun is about to commence. If I were to substitute words for the whistle, Chaela would hear the following lyrical adaptation of the song's opening four lines.
The mountains are
your playground
The mountains are
your sweetest joy
The mountains are
the friends you run to
Whenever you need to reach your summit dream
18
"Chaela, did you slide your flying disc under the sofa again?
Hold on, cutie. I'm almost done with the story."
There's no doubt as to the athletic significance of Chaela's 1,000-day summit streak. The feat not only elevates Chaela to the highest echelon in canine sporting achievement, but the streak has eternally enshrined her in a veritable mountain climbing, league of her own. Of course, when Chaela is frolicking above the clouds, she's endearingly oblivious to any human-generated accolade and couldn't care less about her unique stature in mountaineering. Sure, Chaela proudly strives to reach every summit, but mostly she just wants to be a dog and joyously romp about in the vastness and alpine beauty of her mountain playgrounds. It has been a gift to observe my stick-carrying pup climbing ever blissful and carefree while ascending to her wondrous and cherished mountaintops. Once Chaela has attained a summit, she is bestowed the grandest of settings, where, in her unparalleled mountain climbing routine, she has realized her life's purpose and the culmination of a difficult and heart-affirming challenge. Now that Chaela's achieved a summit for 1,000 straight days, what's next? Well, tomorrow, several hours before the sunlight appears over its summit, I'll take my pup to another mountain playground, whistle a short tune, and let Chaela climb toward the sky. It's simply the wisest thing to do, come mountain sun, wind, or snow.
"Chaela, when did you lay your stick on my duffel bag? Alright.
The story's done. Let's climb!"
The Adventure Continues . . .
19